A Spacer and His Girlfriend
by Amara Z
Summary: Han receives a surprise welcome home from Leia.


**A/N: I found a sketch of Han and Leia on the web and this is what came to mind. It's strictly mush and no smut. =) Enjoy!**

* * *

The lights of Coruscant lay spread out below them, shimmering in the dark of space like yellow Corusca jewels. Long, thin strands ran between the orbs, joining them together until the entire planet glowed like a vast spider web of light. It was beautiful – breathtakingly so. Some might consider him jaded for it, but the sight held very little interest for Han Solo. He barely even gave it a second thought.

No, what really caught his attention, what he relished the most whenever he made this trip, was how the inky black of space slowly faded to the brilliant azure blue of the Coruscant sky as the _Millennium Falcon_ entered the planet's atmosphere. That was the moment he waited for; that had his breath loosening in his chest a little. For him, it was the sign, more than anything else, that he was almost home.

Home. He never thought there would be such a thing for a guy like him. For quite some time, the _Falcon_ had been the closest thing he had to one, and honestly, he had liked it that way. Cherished it, even. And if it hadn't been for a wild eyed farm boy and a strong willed princess, it might still be that way.

But it wasn't that way. Not anymore. He could feel his stomach clench, knowing that somewhere down on the planet was a girl – a woman really – thinking about him and probably as anxious to see him as he was to see her. As he steered expertly through the skies, he could feel his hands shaking in anticipation. It had been a long six weeks without her and his thoughts were already drifting to reuniting with her. He felt strung tighter than a crossbow, his whole body jumping at the idea of having her in his arms again.

He banked hard to avoid oncoming traffic and directed the ship easily towards Eastport starport. It was his usual place to dock and store the _Falcon_ when he was planetside. He was flying a little loose and fast, but the sooner he docked, the sooner he might get to see her.

The port was as busy as ever, ships constantly coming and going, and he was strictly focused on his approach. But as he landed in the assigned bay, he breathed a sigh of relief now that his attention could go elsewhere.

He stood up from his seat to start shutting down the _Falcon_ and it took some time before his eyes flitted away from the controls long enough to look out the cockpit windshield. That's when he saw a person standing in the bay, a little ways ahead of the ship, seeming to watch the _Falcon_ with great interest. Unable to make out the face clearly, he leaned towards to the canopy to get a better view. The person took a step closer, into the full light of the bay, and he finally recognized the shape of the figure. It couldn't be her though. Not at this time of day. But upon further inspection, he realized it was.

Straightening, his hand reached out and fumbled briefly before clapping onto his co-pilot's shoulder. "Chewie, shut'er down for me, will you?" Han asked quietly, unable to keep the tremor of excitement out of his voice.

Chewie glanced at his partner and his eyes quickly followed Han's intense stare. He instantly could tell who it was and knowing Han's feelings for the little princess, he nodded. [Go to her, cub.]

Han gave his friend a quick smile. "Thanks, buddy," he replied and was out the cockpit door and standing at the top of the boarding ramp in a flash. He hit the controls to start the ramp's cycling process and instead of waiting, he moved onto the ramp as it started to descend. He wanted to be on the ground as soon as possible. He crouched down so he could peer out the ever widening gap, using the struts above to balance himself. And his effort was worth it as she appeared inch by inch. He was right. It was her and he could feel his breath catch as she was slowly revealed.

Gods, had she been this beautiful when he had left or had she gotten more so in his absence? In a white knee-length dress that wrapped around her arms, leaving her shoulders bare, and her hair done in two thick braids that hung in loops at the nape of her neck, she was simply stunning. And was she nervous? She seemed to be shifting her weight from foot to foot as if she couldn't quite wait for the ramp to lower either. But Han couldn't give it much more thought than that. As soon as the ramp hit the floor, he was on the move, his long stride eating up the duracrete like a construction droid.

Leia rushed forward to meet him, taking mere seconds before she stood in front of him. He lowered his head to kiss her and Leia surprised him by surging up on her toes and crushing her lips to his. It was like heaven to him and his hand cupped her lower back, drawing her to him. This was no chaste kiss. Certainly not the kind he expected in public. She was really putting her heart and soul into it and it was starting to shake him all the way down to his toes.

Her arms went around his shoulders, one hand draped down his back as the other dangled in the air before the arm wrapped around his neck, clutching him to her. Han couldn't help himself as she kissed him deeply and he let himself drink in the taste of her. He could only imagine how they appeared to others right then. Just a spacer and his girlfriend, welcoming him home from a long time away. And he reveled in it as long as he could.

Eventually, his conscience got the better of him and he broke the kiss. He knew Leia wouldn't normally approve of them carrying on like this too long. "Gods, am I glad to see you." The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile as she lowered herself back down. "I hate to ask, but shouldn't you be in a meeting somewhere?"

She still hadn't let go of him yet and he could swear he felt the heat from her hands through the wool of his jacket as they ran down his arms. She laughed. "Probably. But I couldn't wait to see you."

Han couldn't resist embracing her again and her arms slid around his neck as he lifted her from the floor to hold her tightly to him. He closed his eyes as he took in every sensation – the soft material of her dress, the warmth of her body, the weight of her against his chest. As much as he wanted to hang onto her like that forever, he knew any moment of anonymity they enjoyed would soon be over. Opening his eyes, he glanced past her shoulder and saw he was right. Passersby were already beginning to notice. A couple of them had even stopped to point and whisper. With a heavy sigh, he let her slip from his grasp, placing her gently on the ground. Not wanting the moment to end, he leaned forward so his mouth hovered near her ear.

"I don't suppose we could take this someplace more private?" he whispered and pulled back to catch her reaction.

Leia was silent for a minute and she stared at her hands as they carefully smoothed out the front of his jacket. She finally looked up at him shyly through her lashes and gave him a smile, the kind that had him ready to promise her virtually anything. "Just so happens that my schedule for the afternoon is clear."

Surprise registered on Han's face, but was quickly replaced by a lopsided grin. "Isn't that convenient? I don't have to report in for a couple of days."

"I thought I heard that somewhere." She stood on her toes to kiss him lightly on the lips, her gaze smoldering when she looked up at him again. "Why don't you lead the way?"

Han was only too eager to lead his princess away and slipped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her protectively against his side as he steered her towards the hover taxis. It took no time at all to find a taxi and after rattling off his address to the driver, they were off.

He wanted desperately to touch her, to be close to her, but knew it probably wasn't such a good idea and had kept a certain amount of distance between them when he had slid into the taxi after her. If they really were an ordinary guy and girl and had it been dark, he would have already pulled her into his lap, kissed her until she was a weak-kneed mound of putty, and done things with his hands he probably shouldn't. But as it was, she wasn't just another girl and he wasn't simply another guy. They were a government minister and a general and it was midday. People would notice. So he had to settle for intertwining his fingers with hers and staring at their joined hands as they rested on her lap.

Leia seemed to have other ideas in mind, though, and she slid up next to him. Her body pressed into him, one of her legs tangling with his. Resting her head on his shoulder, she burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. "I missed you, nerf herder," she whispered, her breath warm against his skin

He smiled, rubbing his cheek against her hair. "You know if you keep welcoming me home like this, I may volunteer for every mission they have."

Leia sat back, her eyes going wide. "Don't you dare!"

Han chuckled at her shocked expression. "Easy, Princess. I was only kidding." When she looked away, he slipped a finger under her chin, tipping her face towards his. "Hey. If I had my say about it, I'd never go anywhere without you again."

Leia relaxed a little with that, but suddenly less sure of herself, she ducked her head and tucked it into his chest. "You promise?" she asked, the low sound of her voice tickling his throat.

Han's arms came around her, pulling her even closer, and he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Even though she wasn't saying it, her question brought to mind something they didn't discuss that often – the idea of being together forever. They seemed to be heading that way, but they hadn't done much about it up to this point. They were either too busy or too content with how things were. As far as he was concerned, though, it was merely a matter of paperwork. He was already hers.

He let out a long breath as they continued traveling through the Coruscant sky together. He knew promising himself to Leia would be the easiest thing he would ever do. So easy that he wasn't sure why they hadn't done it already. As he held her gently in his arms, he knew in some ways they were no better than a spacer and his girlfriend, with no more between them than words of love. He would want more at some point. They both would. But it was enough. For now.


End file.
